Work life Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Work life - Research Paper Example On the other hand, an organization is capable of attracting and retaining new employees due to this attractive policy. According to Harris (2007, p.33), many organizations are interested in retaining productive employees; therefore, they offer various programs that allow them balance between their work life and their families. In addition, such organizations feel that work life initiatives foster employees’ commitment thus enhancing productivity. However, the challenge with the work life programs such as flextime is ensuring that employees use their freedom responsibly. Therefore, supervision and training programs are necessary in ensuring flextime is well managed. Harris (2007, p.34) insists on the importance of work-life initiatives both on the employees and on company, however, he opposes on strict supervision that companies apply on the employees under such programs. He emphasizes on applying listening skills while dealing with employees, and giving them control over their flextime; this strategy improves the employees’ accountability. Nevertheless, for work-life initiatives to be effective, they should work for both the employers and the employees. Harris adds that flexibility amounts to accountability, especially in modern organizations, while flextime programs enhance loyalty in employees, as well as job satisfaction. IBM is one such company that has introduced the flextime program; the company attests to the effectiveness of flextime as one of the reasons why it manages to retain its employees (Harris, 2007, p.36). Flextime is most valued by working women, since they are the homemakers and engage in numerous domestic responsibilities; therefore, retaining such women can be difficult unless favorable programs such as flextime are available. Some types of flextime programs may include telecommuting, which allows employees to work from some hours at home using a

Economic development Essay Example for Free

Economic development Essay Economic development and economic growth are both indicators of the economic position of the country. Economic growth is the growth in gross domestic product and economic development is related to growth in the standard of living and poverty. As you can see economic growth and economic development are not the same thing, economic development is far more than just growth in GDP as it involves indicators that are not purely economically related. However economic growth is an indicator of economic development but there are also several other factors that represent economic development. These indicators are; life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate, daily calorie supply per capita, adult literacy rate, number of doctors per 1000 people, average years of schooling, availability of clean water, freedom of press, immunisation rates and levels of discrimination. As you can see these are generally not economic indicators but when they are combined they form the economic development figure. There are fifteen barriers to economic development, the first of these being a lack of physical capital. Lack physical capital is a significant barrier to the development of a country for several reasons. There is already a shortage of capital that further leads to less capital being produced; this creates significant problems for developing countries. In these countries the income levels are low leading to low savings and therefore little money for investment in capital. This lack of capital furthers the low productivity therefore the employment remains low. This also leads to a lack of demand for goods and services the low demand means that less needs to be produced therefore less capital needs to be produced. This then forces the country into a cycle of underdevelopment. This consequently creates a barrier for the country to develop. An example of this is in most less developed countries where they are in constant times of war and civil unrest. Their capital is destroyed through war making it difficult for the country to produce more capital. Also, Sierra Leone, the worlds least developed country, as shown by the human development index, has a GDP per capita of US$159 this creates significant problems for the economy and its development. A lack of human capital is the next barrier to development. This barrier is created through a lack of education and training of the population. It also relates to the general heath and wellbeing of the population. If the labour-force are getting sick then they are unable to work and therefore decreasing the labour capital. A current example of this situation is in South Africa. In South Africa the micro-economic impact of AIDS is very serious and is getting worse. Among skilled workers HIV prevalence is expected to peak between a fifth and a quarter percent by the year 2000, which is consequently depleting the number of skilled workers creating the lack of capital development barrier. These problems are also leading to a rise in insurance bills and the costs of health benefits rise. This therefore diverts government savings to pay for health care and as a result the availability of funds for investment will fall. AIDS is predicted to knock 0.3 to 0.4 percent off the annual growth rate. As you can see this is a severe barrier to development in these less developed countries. A strategy to this barrier is human resource development. The next barrier to development is a lack of savings. This also causes low levels of investment due to the low income leading to low savings. This low level of savings is also caused by several other reasons such as; poorly developed financial markets, holding of savings in traditional non-money forms, the purchase of unnecessary luxury items, cheap family labour reducing the incentive to save for investment and the general indebtedness of the population. The low incentive to reinvest profits by businesses also reduces the savings. Budget deficits by the government to make up for the low taxation revenue are also decreasing the amount being saved. When there is a lack of savings caused by any of these causes it forces the need to borrow form overseas that consequently leads to problems with the balance of payments. An example of lack of savings exists in Nigeria. In Nigeria there are severe problems with their currency. These begin with significant fraud problems also the majority of trading is done with cash in which until recently the currency did not exceed the equivalent of 50 cents. The next problem is that they dont believe in banks, the only use of banks is to exchange foreign currencies for tourists, which leads to a lack of funds for investments. Also, Local traders keep all working capital stuffed in coca jars, as they believe business opportunities will disappear in the time it takes to make a withdrawal. Banks do not allow credit due to the fear of not being repaid. All of these factors contribute to a large barrier to development simply due to a lack of savings. This could be solved through improving the financial system. Another barrier to development is a lack of taxation revenue. A lack of taxation creates barriers as it means the government has little finances to use on economic development. The high unemployment, very low-income levels and difficulties in tax collection cause this lack of tax revenue. The government is then forced to collect tax mainly from customs duties, sales taxes and excises. These taxes can prove to be very inflationary and are also regressive. Another problem with these taxes is that they discourage investment and the creation of employment. Nigeria also has a problem with the collection of taxation. Most Nigerians that can afford to avoid paying taxes, as they believe that their money will be flinched by the corrupt government. This creates severe problems for the country, as there is no money for the government to use in investment to promote economic development. Improving the financial system will also help solve this barrier. The next barrier to entry is a lack of infrastructure. Less developed countries rarely have a sufficient supply of necessities such as roads, ports, sewerage, power schools or water- facilities etc. The main reason that this infrastructure is not being made is that the government simply cannot raise the funds to finance them due to their lack of taxation revenue. Another reason maybe that the government has chosen to finance defence spending or if they are in time of war, in which most LCDs are. A lack of infrastructure restricts the free flow of goods and services and reduces the productivity of the labour force that further restricts the economic development of the country. In Africa infrastructure is very underdeveloped compared to the other less developed regions. They have 6 phone lines for every 1000 people compared to the average of 54 for other developing regions. Also their power supply is far less than the average of 300kw per 1000 peoples with 80kw this significantly stops their development. In Nigeria there are serious problems with infrastructure causing business uncertainty. Telephones rarely work and the electric comes in periodic vengeful surges. Nigerian firms, particularly the state-owned ones due to the lack of taxation, devote little effort into maintaining their infrastructure and it therefore ends up breaking down. Reliable firms are so hard to come by that firms barter contacts: well let you share the electricity from our generator if you can help us find spare parts for it. Firms wanting to set up in Nigeria face the problem known locally as BYOI (bring your own infrastructure) this shows how much of a problem infrastructure is in Nigeria. A lack of infrastructure could be solved in many ways such as encouraging enterprise, human resource development or improving the financial system. A lack of entrepreneurs is another barrier to economic development. Enterprise is essential in order for development to occur, as it is one of the key factors to production. In the less developed countries there tens to be a lack of entrepreneurs for several reasons. The first of these is the fact that there is a limited opportunity to make a profit, due to the lack of demand. The next reason is that the businesses not easily financed due to the low level of savings. The lack of infrastructure available also distracts these entrepreneurs. Another reason to the lack of entrepreneurs is that cultural beliefs often place little importance on monetary gain and entrepreneurs are thus given little status. The number of entrepreneurs is also reduced by the lack of education in these countries. The final reason is that it is risky for an entrepreneur due to the political and economic instability. An example of a lack of entrepreneurs is also in Nigeria as it closely relates to the lack of the infrastructure. The lack of infrastructure adds at least 25 percent onto a firms operating costs if it choses to set up in Nigeria, this is a significant deterrent for firms to set up and should be solved if the county wants to achieve economic development. A strategy that could be adopted to help this situation is encouraging enterprise. The next barrier to economic development is a lack of technology. There are several reasons why these less developed countries are not more technologically advanced. The first reason being that most new technology will involve some investment in capital that is lacking in these less developed countries. Also another problem is that the new technology will need skilled labour to operate it but skilled labour is also of shortage in a LCD. The next reason is that companies dont really want to adopt labour saving technology when they already have cheap labour and there are high unemployment rates. The final reason that there is a lack of technology is that new technology is used to facilitate the achievement of economies of scale and the small markets in LCDs reduce the incentive to mass-produce. The governments however, have managed to encourage technology into these LCDs and most currently use modern technology that compliments the labour so workers maintain their jobs. A lot of the modern technology used in these counties is generally used in the foreign owned industries where they mass-produce in order to export to advanced markets. Over population and rapid population growth is another factor that causes a barrier to development. In these less developed countries the birth rates are often five times higher than in the more developed countries. The advances of medicine have also caused a fall in the deaths, which leads to a higher population growth. The growth of these countries is generally around 2 percent and their growth is usually below this figure, which therefore worsens the situation, and the real GNP per capita often falls. In the more advanced countries they generally have population growth of around 0.5 percent and their economic growth will usually be higher than that. This is where the widening gap occurs pushing less developed countries further away from more advanced countries. This high growth of the population also has the effect of increasing the labour force, but as there is little demand for labour the unemployment rate will tend to rise. Also, most of this population is below 15 or above 65 meaning they are unable to contribute o production but still need things such as food, water, clothing and shelter. This creates a problem known as dependency burden making development even harder. Governments in these LDCs fight a tough battle with a rapid growing population and are always trying to slow this rate but they face several problems such as poor education, communication, lack of contraception and cultural attitudes. Africa is currently the fastest growing of all the developing regions with a growth rate of 3 percent over the past decade but with this high growth rate comes several associated problems. Africa has one doctor for every 20,000 people compared to an average 5000 people in developing countries and its infant mortality rate is the highest at 96 per thousand births almost double the developing countries average. Africans also have a life expectancy of 52 years where the average for developing countries is 64. As you can see that the effects of a high population are not beneficial to a developing country. This barrier to development can be solved with the population control strategy. The next barrier to development is inflation. Inflation in these countries is caused by the scare amounts of goods and services relative to the high population consequently causing demand pull inflation. The domestic supply is unable to match the domestic demand. The inflation rates in many of these countries gets above 200 percent compared to that of around 5 percent in most advanced countries. This high inflation has many unwanted effects such as decreased living standards and a reduction in real income, it also tends to redistribute the income from the poor to the wealthy therefore increasing the income inequality that already exists. A high inflation rate also causes the investment of non-productive assets such as antiques or gold, this money is therefore taken out of the economy reducing the funds available for investment. These high inflation rates also cause a reduction in the competitiveness of exporters and import competing firms that therefore leads to an increase in the countries current account deficit. Another effect that inflation will lead to is a falling exchange rate, which if the country has a large foreign debt will make it even harder to pay. Inflation is very high in most of the African countries and causes severe problems to their economy and development progress. Balance of payments problems is also another barrier to development of these less developed countries. The majority of LCDs have problems with their external balance as the little income they do earn is used on imports and used to pay off interest on their foreign debts. As these countries are in deficit they are continually forced to borrow from overseas to finance their payments worsening their current account deficit even more. Many of these countries are also suffering from worsening terms of trade that also decreases their export revenue and thus further worsening their balance of payments. The WTO worldwide reduction of tariffs will help to assist this but government policies need to be implemented to seriously boost export revenue and turn the consumers away from imports. The strategy to help the balance of payments is import replacement. The next barrier to development that LCDs face is a depletion of their natural resources. Many of these countries are highly dependent on one major export to create export revenue, create growth, employment and income and the reduction in the current account deficit. This creates problems as they may deplete natural resources without considering future production. This reduces the potential for further future development and growth. In Mauritius, they have cleared 25 percent of their forests in the last 19 years purely for export. This causes massive environmental effects and also is a serious concern, as when the resources run out the countrys economy will fail to stay afloat. This is the same in many less developed countries including many African counties and their dependency on oil. It can be helped with export development to have a wider range of exports and less dependency on one major export. Another significant barrier to economic development in these less developed countries is corruption and poor administration by the government. Corruption is a very common problem in LDCs. The problem associated with this is that aid and government revenue is not all used in promoting growth, corrupt leaders and government officials take most of it. When a government is corrupt it causes most of their aid to be withdrawn forcing them to reform their political structures. This withdrawal of overseas assistance causes depletions in general living standards of the country. Another problem with these governments is that they know little or nothing about economics. These leads to several problems including poor administration and efficiency these lead to a poor ability to promote development. An example of this is in Nigeria where it has been estimated that in the last twenty years over two billion dollars of oil revenue from the country has been embezzled. This is mainly due to their last dictator who ordered the Nigerian Central Bank to deposit 15 million dollars a day into his own Swiss bank account. This works out to twenty percent of GDP and when you take into consideration that their NFD is over 40 percent of GDP, the country is not left with much money. A strategy that has been put into place for this specific barrier is the refusal to lend money to Nigeria from IMF. Natural disasters are another barrier to development in less developed countries. The effects of natural disasters such as floods or droughts have a much greater impact on less developed countries compared to that of advanced countries. Most LCDs are prone to these natural disasters, which is a significant factor to their underdevelopment. In India they have times of severe droughts and flooding where 80 million people were affected. This has severely decreased their agriculture production and is consequently creating a barrier to their development. There is not much that can be done about natural disasters but do adjust to them and to adopt new ways to cope with them. Another significant factor preventing the development of less developed countries is war and civil unrest. Many LCDs are in constant war and civil unrest, this causes several problems with development. The first of these problems is that entrepreneurs are discouraged by the countries instability also important infrastructure is destroyed and governments spend their little taxation revenue on maintaining order or producing weapons. Economies in war torn countries are unlikely to be operating at full capacity making it hard for development to occur. In Rwanda civil wars in the nineties have claimed the lives of almost 1,000,000 Rwandans. Most of the aid to the country was invested in weaponry and therefore not used in promoting economic development, as it should have been. This is how civil wars can create barriers to development. The only solution to this is to end the wars and focus the spending into promoting economic development. The final barrier to development is a lack of press freedom. Press freedom involves the exchange of ideas, criticism of government and increased awareness of world events and developments. This is something that most LCDs do not have and therefore their economic development is limited. In Mexico the government allowed Televisa to have a monopoly in the television market if they didnt play any anti-government shows and supported the government. In the eighties journalists were killed by the police in Mexico City if they published any anti-government articles. This is serious problem in these less developed countries and is usually the result of government corruption. The first strategy to promote economic development in these less developed countries is export development. This strategy involves assisting those producers who export to overseas markets. An increase in export development will earn foreign exchange and create unemployment and income and also help to solve problems with the balance of payments. The next strategy to promoting development is import replacement. Import replacement involves the shifting of demand away from imports and towards the domestically produced products. This can be done in several ways including the induction of tariffs on imports making them more expensive relative to the domestic product. This also encourages foreign investment as the foreign firms wish to have the same protection. Assisting domestic producers financially is another way of promoting this economic development, by subsidising and offering tax incentives to local producers it will increase their competitiveness with imports by the lower costs of production. However, replacing imports is only a short-term solution and therefore policies promoting long-term development must be applied. Human resource development is the next strategy to development. This development involves improving the size of the labour force and also the skills of the labour force. The labour force can be increased through improved health care and skills can be attained through things such as training and education. In Nigeria the World Bank is currently funding an $80 million project into their education as well as building a better and more consistent water supply. Also In Malaysia education investment has been amongst their highest priorities for decades, they have spent $731 million on improving their education levels to the level they are currently at Another way to promote economic development in these less developed countries is through encouraging enterprise. In most LDCs there is a lack of entrepreneurs, in order to increase the quantity there are several solutions such as improving management and leadership training and tax incentives, subsidies and free loans. Cuba has introduced a group of people called the cuentapropistas, 170,000 entrepreneurs marking the arrival of a new business sector in the islands socialist economy. They account for 8% of the labour force and manage to put food on the table for one in ten Cubans. These new small businesses have been a result of reduced subsidies to state enterprises, increased foreign investment, and introduction of incentives in the agricultural sector and the legalisation of dealings in foreign currency. This has already had positive signs on the Cuban economy with growth in 1998 at 8 percent some 31percent higher than two years previous. Population control is another strategy to economic development. Rapid population growth is unwanted as it creates problems such as inflation and scarcity and therefore more poverty. There are plenty of methods that can be put into place to slow population growth. Some of these methods include maximum children policy such as Chinas one child policy and free supplies of contraception. The Grameen bank is another contributor to helping population control in Bangladesh. The bank issue loans to woman and as part of the conditions to borrowing the money they must agree to have small families. This has proved to be a successful program all across the world and has helped to promote the small-scale development of many less developed countries. The next strategy to promote economic development is increasing the agricultural productivity. Agriculture is usually a major sector in the less developed countries and thus improving its productivity will significantly promote development. Improving the agriculture productivity can be done in many ways. Some of these include merging small farms to create larger more efficient ones and encouraging owner operators to increase the incentive to improve productivity there also several other ways in which these countries can improve their agricultural productivity. With 75 percent of the population living in rural areas, improving the efficiency of Indias agriculture is the key to attaining high growth and reducing poverty. Accelerating rural development and poverty reduction requires cutting spending on input subsidies; investing in rural infrastructure; providing more effective rural services, especially to the poor and socially excluded; improving management of water, forests, and other natural resources; liberalizing the rural economy, including the rural financial system. In the heart of Indias poorest region, the Bihar Plateau Development Project is increasing access to much-needed irrigation and safe drinking water by tribal communities and raising their incomes through the diversification of rural livelihoods. The project aims to reach 4.5 million people through a variety of institutional mechanisms, including water and sanitation committees, water user associations, and income generation schemes, all aiming to transfer skills and enhance peoples capabilities so that the benefits may be sustained once the project ends. This is one way in which India is proving to increase its agricultural produc tivity. Another strategy to promoting economic development is by adopting intermediate technology. If a less developed country invested in new technology it may be forgiving employment possibilities, as most new technology is very labour intensive, this will consequently lead to a fall in employment. As these countries have an abundance of labour it is much easier, cost effective and better for the economy if they use intermediate technology that still requires high levels of labour. An example of this is Fred Hollows, Hollows uses local resources to create employment income and economic growth through the training of people to perform the medical tasks and also employment in the factories where the lens are created. The final strategy to promote economic development is to improve the financial system. In these economies there is a lack of savings and an insufficient financial system, this creates major barriers to development. Thus policies need to be adopted to improve this situation that promote growth and employment without generating high levels of inflation. The World Banks Executive Board approved a $506 million loan to support financial sector adjustment and reform in Colombia. The loan is part of a revised World Bank strategy for Colombia that includes intensified lending to help the country promote peace, ease the impact of the recession on the poor, and rebuild after their earthquake. It is also part of a $1.4 billion package to help bolster Colombias economy. This financial sector adjustment loan reflects the World Banks confidence in Colombias wide-ranging reform strategy, which is critical to its effort to overcome the recession, said Andres Solimano, director of the Banks program i n Colombia. The financing of many of these strategies is usually funded through institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund institutions. The World Bank is a major force behind the development of less developed countries as it gives issues discounted loans to most of these countries. Another way that these countries can fund their development is through overseas aid. The are large amounts of money flowing out of the developed countries from governments and other aid organizations as aid into the less developed countries hoping to achieve economic development. For all of these less developed countries to achieve economic development, an effort from all developed countries with aid and advice must be contributed, but until then the world will not have any chance of abolishing poverty. References: IFC Building the private sector in Africa The Economist January 15th 2000 survey Nigeria World bank Rwanda development project The Economist May 27th Aids impact in South Africa World Bank Cubas Cuentapropistas World Bank Indias development The Grameen Bank Economic Development in Bangladesh The Economist May 27th Growth is good The Economist Feb 22nd Televista World Bank press release, 11th June 1998

Paul Reveres Ride Essay -- essays papers

Paul Reveres Ride Paul Revere's Ride is a collection of historical accounts centering around Paul Revere's midnight ride to warn the countryside of the battles that occurred. The novel is made up of narrative accounts that tell the whole story of the midnight ride. David Hackett Fischer goes to great lengths to cover every possible angle in telling the story. "Fischer illuminates the figure of Paul Revere, a man far more complex than a simple artisan and messenger"(3). By adding different perspectives he allows the reader to see not only the American idealistic point of view, but we get a chance to hear British accounts of these particular events. In this way Hackett Fischer paints an accurate and unbiased picture not only of Paul Revere and his ride, but also of many other supporting historical figures that were important in making these events happen. Paul Revere's Ride also does an outstanding job of giving the reader a more in-depth perspective about these events by providing a number of first hand accounts from various sources. This technique personalizes the events to the reader and allows him or her to feel more connected to the people in the novel. One such account takes place when Hackett Fischer describes the "Ipswich Fright". "All the horses and vehicles in the town were put in requisition: men, women, and children hurried as for life toward the north. Large numbers crossed the Merrimack, and spent the night in deserted houses of Salisbury, whose inhabitants, stricken by the strange terror, had fled into New Hampshire â€Å"(171). Instead of merely saying that people were in a panic, this accounts adds strength to his assertions. With this detail, the reader can actually make a visual picture the type of panic that took place. Hackett Fischer's in depth descriptions of the typical attire of the participants in these events was also very helpful in allowing the reader to feel more connected with what really happened. Hackett Fischer describes the uniforms of many of the various ranks of British soldiers. Specifically, he describes the British Regulars in great detail. "The most distinctive part of the uniform was the heavy red coat. For grenadiers and line companies this was a garment with long tails that descended nearly to the knee. The light infantry wore short jackets that ended at the hip, and were much prefer... ... He was renowned for his silversmithing, which was his most successful occupation. "He had a brilliant eye for form, a genious for invention, and a restless energy that expressed itself in the animation of his work. Two centuries later, his pieces are cherished equally for the touchmark of their maker and the vitality of his art"(15). By giving some insight into Paul Revere the man, rather than Paul Revere the legend, Fischer gives strength to his historical assertions. In conclusion, David Hackett Fischer effectively tells the story of Paul Revere's ride in a way that completely and accurately depicts the events. By developing many of the historical figures that are not as well known as Paul Revere, Hackett Fischer gives the reader a more distinctive understanding of these particular historical events. Paul Revere's Ride also personalizes these events by providing numerous first hand accounts that strengthen the imagery. As a whole, the novel is an effective and interesting historical account that accurately tells the famed story of Paul Revere's midnight ride. Bibliography: Paul Revere's ride, David Hackett Fischer,Imprint New York : Oxford University Press, 1994.

Environmental Sustainable Practices

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES Contents Page Part 1: Investigate current practices in relation to resource usage. | Page Number| 1. 1 Outline the government and regulatory bodies both internationally, nationally and in Victoria that have devised environmental laws. Explain what they do and what laws and regulations they have implemented and outline each law and regulation briefly. | 4,5| 1. 2 Explain the role of the local government in devising environmental laws and regulations, research your own local council and outline what laws and regulations they have implemented. | 5| 1. Briefly outline the role of Industry bodies in devising and managing environmental laws and regulations. | 6| 1. 4a) Discuss why organisations comply with environmental regulations and best practice. | 6| 1. 4b) Outline how organisations would go about assessing their compliance to environmental regulations and best practices, attach documentation that they would use to do this. | 7| 1. 4c) Explain how a n organisation would go about developing an Environmental Management Plan, what is the purpose of the plan and what should be incorporated in the plan and how will the plan be monitored? | 7| 1. d) Outline how organisations would measure resource usage and what benefits such measures would bring about in the long term for the organisation. | 8| Part 2: Set targets for improvements| Page Number| 2. 1 Discuss why organisations need to engage and seek input from a wide range of stakeholders when implementing effective sustainable work practices. | 8| 2. 2 Outline some of the key stakeholders that an organisation would seek input from and explain the type of input they would provide. | 8| 2. 3 Discuss the consultation methods that organisations can use to maximize the stakeholder feedback.What are the benefits or each? | 9| 2. 4 Outline external sources of information and data that an organisation may access and how it could utilise the information to implement effective sustainable pra ctices| 9| 2. 5 Outline the purpose of efficiency targets in implementing effective sustainable work practices, and give examples of efficiency targets that an organisation may implement. | 10| 2. 6 Discuss the merit of promoting efficiency targets to key stakeholders and how this may be undertaken by organisations. | 10| Contents Page Part 3: Implement performance improvement practices| Page Number| 3. ‘As part of the process, techniques and tools must be applied to assist employees with workplace procedures for implementing sustainable work practices’ Discuss this statement and outline the techniques and tools an organisation may use, their purpose and when they would be relevant. | 11| 3. 2 Outline the purpose of environmental and resource efficiency improvement plans and discuss what they should incorporate. | 12| 3. 3 Explain the role of the supervision/team leader in supervising and supporting team members to identify possible areas of non-compliance and improved work practices. | 12| 3. ‘Organisations are now looking at incorporating new accounting practices to completely reflect the value of the environment as an asset’ Outline the different costs recognized and when they may be used. | 12,13| Part 4: Monitor performance| Page Number| 4. 1 ‘Evaluating, monitoring and reviewing are important steps in continuous improvement cycle. The feedback, positive or negative, demonstrates whether the actions the organisation has taken to improve its environmental performance have had the desired impact’ Discuss the five steps organisations can use to evaluate/monitor performance. 13| 4. 2 Outline and explain how audit documentation and processes could be employed to monitor performance of organisations in implementing environmental sustainable practices. | 14| 4. 3 What methods could an organisation employ to communicate the outcomes of audits on efficiency targets to key personnel and stakeholders. | 14| 4. 4 ‘Once the audit outcome have been reported new efficiency targets, tools and strategies should be set by organisations’ Explain why and how this is done. | 14,15| 4. 5 ‘Monitoring performance may also identify successful strategies. How and why should organisations go about promoting these and why is a necessary step to reward participants. | 15| 1. 1 The following are the regulatory bodies both international, national and within Victoria: Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialised countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.The major distinction between the Protocol and the Convention is that while the Convention encouraged industrialised countries to stabilize GHG emissions, the Protocol commits them to do so. At an international level the Kyoto Protocol act t o ensure that the global environment is protected and by devising an international agreement in which commits participating developed countries to reduce amounts of greenhouse gas emissions being exposed to the environment they ensure potential harm to the environment is minimised.The Kyoto Protocol is a regulation in which governments voluntarily ratify to agree to, although once agreed, the country must comply with the national guidelines set or else heavy penalties apply. As countries with commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions must meet their targets primarily through national measures, as an additional means of meeting these targets, the Kyoto Protocol introduced three market-based mechanisms in which are known as the â€Å"carbon market. †Ã‚  The mechanisms are: Emissions Trading, The Clean Development Mechanism and the Joint Implementation.The Kyoto mechanisms help stimulate sustainable development through technology transfer a nd investment, help countries with Kyoto commitments to meet their targets by reducing emissions or removing carbon from the atmosphere in other countries in a cost-effective way and encourage the private sector and developing countries to contribute to emission reduction efforts. Commonwealth Laws The Commonwealth laws are devised at the highest level of government in Australia, and the department in which administer these laws at a national level is the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.The department is responsible for implementing the Australian Government's policies to protect the environment and heritage, and to promote a sustainable way of life. There are five councils in which report to the department and administer legislations and acts to conserve the environment, these councils include: National Environment Protection Council, Environment Protection and Heritage Council, Ministerial Council on Energy, National Resource Management Ministerial Coun cil and the Primary Industries Ministerial Council.Regulations in which the Department have implemented include the Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Act 1981, this Act ensures the waters surrounding Australia's coastlines are protected from wastes and pollutions that are dumped at sea. The Sea Dumping Act regulates the loading and dumping of waste at sea and fulfils Australia's international obligations under the London Protocol to prevent marine pollution by dumping of wastes and other matter.In order to ensure the act is effective, permits are required from the department for all ocean disposal activities (these could include dumping of vessels, burials at sea etc). These permits are further analysed by the Department in order to ensure environmental measures are being considered and taken into action. Environment Protection Authority (EPA) The EPA is the department responsible for governing environmental laws within Victoria, they provide acts which require organisations have to comply with and are responsible for monitoring and enforcement of a corporations environmental sustainability efforts.The State Environment Protection Policies (SEPPs) are subordinate legislations in which are made under the provisions of the (Environment Protection Act 1970) by the EPA. SEPPs aims to provide safety to the environmental values and human activities that need protection in the state of Victoria from the effects of pollution and waste. Acts administered by the EPA include: the Environment Protection Act 1970, Pollutions of Waters by oils and Noxious substances Act 1986 and the National Environment Protection Council (Victoria) Act 1995.The Environment Protection Act 1970 deals with the whole of the environment in a systematic and integrated approach with the basic philosophy of preventing pollution and environmental damage by setting environmental quality objectives and establishing programs to meet them. The Pollutions of Waters by oils and noxious substances Act 1970 is an Act jointly administered by the EPA and the Department of Transport and its main purpose is to protect the sea and other waters from pollution by oil and noxious substances.The National Environment Protection Council (Victoria) act 1995 establishes the National Environment Protection Council which comprises a Minister from the Commonwealth and each state and territory in Australia. The main objective of the National Environment Protection Council is to ensure people within Australia are protected from air, water, noise and soil pollution through the implementation of major environment protection measures. 1. Role of the local government in devising environmental laws and regulations The role of the local government in relation to devising environmental laws and regulations is to assist organisations and the community to not only comply but also understand and develop sound environmental policies and procedures and ensure guidelines in place are followed in order to protec t the environment. Environmental protection is a key role for local government in Australia and environmental management is a core function for all local governments.Local government across Australia has been active in greenhouse and Climate Change action for around a decade. Local government is uniquely placed to work closely with the community to facilitate greenhouse reduction and to provide leadership through greenhouse emission reductions in Council operations. As a member of the community within Preston the local council within the area is Darebin City Council. Darebin's Environment Policy states that Darebin Council will aim for its own operations to be ecologically, socially and economically sustainable and that it will be a sustainability promoting organisation within the Darebin community.The Policy identifies a number of ‘Stretch Goals’ that provide the guiding framework for more immediate targets, management and action which include: zero pollution, zero was te, zero habitat destruction, zero climate damage and zero soil degradation. In order to assist the community of Preston, Darebin City Council provides newsletters, factsheets and brochures which act to promote sustainability practices to individuals within the community. REFER TO ATTACHMENT 1 –BROCHURE 1. 3 Industry bodiesThe role of industry bodies in relation to setting and managing environmental laws and regulations is to provide industries with possible work practices and guidelines in which organisations can adopt in becoming environmentally sustainable within their workplace. Industry bodies are developed to represent not only employees but also small and large scale organisations in implementing sustainable work practices in relation to complying with relevant Acts and Regulations within their business industry.Two industry bodies known within Australia are the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). The AC TU is a union in which protects Australian workers and their families by providing support to workers in organisations financially and within their work environments. They ACTU work to represent employees’ rights at work within Australia and act as a middle band in voicing their problems and finding solutions in relation to the way their organisation work in their operations in becoming environmentally sustainable.The ACCI’s policy agenda reflects the collective views, perceptions and concerns of Australian businesses whether they are a small business or a large scale organisation. They handle matters to assist and speak on behalf of these small or large scale businesses and are an authority in which act as the essential connection between industry, governments, regulators and influential policy forums. 1. 4a Organisation compliance It is essential that organisations comply with environmental regulations as the Acts and Regulations developed by governing bodies are bou nd laws in which require all organisations to follow.If organisations fail to comply with the relevant environmental regulations serious breaches could affect future operations and furthermore reflect on the organisations image as a whole. It is common within Australian organisations today that stakeholders or an organisation have a vested interest in the way in which the organisation commit themselves in becoming environmentally sustainable through their work practices. If organisations do not comply with environmental regulations and best practice, it also acts as a threat to the rganisations internal and external stakeholders. For example customers can discontinue purchasing the products and services the organisation provide due to the fact that they fail to comply with relevant environmental rules and regulations. Employees are the internal stakeholders who prefer to work for organisations that are environmentally responsible and adhere to rules and regulations; therefore by an organisation committing themselves to acknowledge their impact on the environment they decrease the risk of losing important and needed stakeholders.Rules and regulations developed by regulatory bodies are developed in order to also safeguard the community as well as protect the environment, therefore an organisation in which resists complying with set rules and regulations create a negative image and are seen as a threat to the community. 1. 4b Organisations assessing their compliance In order to assess whether the organisation is complying with relevant environmental regulations and best practices they will need to assess which permits or licences that they may need and therefore will require to conduct an audit on their operations.An audit of the organisations operations must include the business activities, the size of the organisation in terms of human resources and premises, their current energy usage levels, the location of all its premises, the potential environmental impact s, the pollutants the organisation is likely to emit and proposed methods to minimise these pollutants, the disposal waste and proposed methods to minimise environmental damage and the lastly the organisations commitment to environmental sustainability in order to limit its ecological footprint.Once the audit is established, the organisation can then go to relevant authorities to assist with ensuring that the licences or permits obtained ensure compliance with relevant laws the organisation needs to operate under. It is also best practice for an organisation to document their policies and procedures, address environmental obligations and demonstrate how it will reduce resource usage in order to ensure compliance with environmental legislations is consistent. 1. c Environmental Management Plan Environmental Management Plans are important as it allows an organisation to formally document their policies and procedures in order to address their environmental obligations and further demo nstrate exactly how they will reduce resource wastage. It is an effective tool to use when becoming an environmentally responsible organisation as they can also include guidelines in which the organisation plan to implement in order to increase their resource efficiency.In order for an organisation to develop an Environmental Management Plan they would firstly need to gather information from a variety of sources which may include examining the current procedures and systems the organisation has in place, examining the legal compliance requirements, researching environmental plans of competitors and other companies, seeking assistance of best practice guidelines from environmental regulators and surveying customers and other important stakeholders for their input.Secondly after relevant information is gathered, the organisation would need to analyse it and make considerations in relation to whether the information is relevant in becoming environmentally sustainable. Once analysis has been conducted on relevant areas within the organisation, the next step is for the organisation to start building ideas and information on the likely improvements that could assist the organisation in improving its ecological footprint and reducing resource usage.The information collated has to be documented in order for stakeholders to fully understand the suggested improvements through the Environmental Management Plan. In order for the plan to be monitored a monitoring report card can be used in order measure the progress of the report and informs management on how effective the plan is. 1. 4d Benefits of resource usage In order for an organisation to measure its resource usage an effective tool as mentioned earlier are audits.Audits can measure the manner in which the business conducts its activities and details the rate at which the organisation uses its resources. The benefit of conducting audits allows the employees and the organisation to become aware of the current rate of resource usage and use these documents to compare future improvements. By documenting the rates at which the organisation uses their resources, it creates opportunities for future plans to be made in order to lower the organisations usage rates and develop effective strategies in order to become environmentally sustainable. . 1 Seeking input from stakeholders In order to implement effective sustainable work practices it is important to gain input from a range of stakeholders of an organisation. All stakeholders must be considered especially when considering or proposing innovation or change within an organisation, as the changes implemented may impact stakeholders in different ways. It is important that key stakeholders are considered when implementing sustainable work practices as changes may impact these certain key stakeholders within the operations of the organisation.For example customers or clients need to be considered as they provide the income that sustains the organisatio n and therefore the changes in which the organisation aim to adopt within their operations in becoming environmentally sustainable may change the end product or service produced somehow. Therefore it is important to gain input from the proposed suggestions and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of changes in place. 2. 2 Key stakeholdersThe following is a list of key stakeholders in which an organisation would seek input from and the input they will provide: – Customers or clients: They may be able to provide feedback in relation to what improvements the organisation can make in order to assist in building the organisation’s image on being flexible and outward-looking in order to become sustainable. -Suppliers: Suppliers will be able to provide information on new products and systems that are environmentally sound.As suppliers rely on the organisation for income they will be work with the organisation to ensure it achieves its objectives of becoming environmentally sustainable. -Members within the work group or team: As employees work internally within the organisations and handle the operations sector, feedback may be gathered on how the organisation can improve their operations in order to minimise resource usage. -Regulators such as the local council- They may provide suggestions on ways in which an organisation can decrease resource usage and how to improve work practices. . 3 Consultation methods A range of methods in which can be used in order to consult with stakeholders to maximise feedback are suggestion boxes provided within the workplace, these can give all employees the opportunity to share their points of view on changes the organisation can adopt in becoming sustainable. Also forums for members of the community or shareholders to attend, forums allow members of the community or valued shareholders to openly comment on the practices of the organisation and make further suggestions for improvements.Another consultation methods is b y holding meeting with customers or suppliers, this creates an opportunity for customers or suppliers to provide feedback on particular procedures of processes the organisation has adopted and therefore discuss areas that may need improvements in order to enhance the image of the organisation. Another method in which organisations can use to consult and gather feedback with staff is by distributing feedback surveys, this will enable staff to provide ideas or comment on how effective current work practices are within the organisation. 2. External sources of information External sources of information and data in which an organisation may access in order to identify how to utilise the information to implement effective sustainable practices are: -Triple bottom line reporting: An organisation can research how other organisations conduct triple bottom line reporting through accessing information via their corporate website. Organisations can access information about how similar organisa tions have implemented strategies, what targets they set and how they go about achieving those targets in relation to the environmental sustainability.By analysing what other organisation do, this helps gather ideas and concepts in which may be adapted within an organisations processes in becoming environmentally friendly and setting targets for future improvements. -Government and regulatory bodies: Regulatory bodies can provide organisations with best practice guidelines in which can be used as effective measures when incorporating practices in order to enhance environmental sustainability within business operations. – Industry associations: Industry bodies will be able to also advise organisation on best practice guidelines in which they can use to implement sustainable practices.Industry associations may also regularly conduct seminars and training which could include vital information for organisation to use such as how to set targets and improve sustainable practices. T he seminars are most effective as they provide valuable information where industry experts often speak on the importance of environmental accountability and share real life solutions which can benefit the organisation when considering what practices to implement in order to become environmentally sustainable. 2. 5 Efficiency targets Efficiency targets are aspects in which an organisation overall aim to achieve.Organisations usually set efficiency targets after evaluating all energy efficiency ideas. The purpose of these targets when implementing effective sustainable work practices is that is gives an organisation direction in what they aim to achieve in becoming environmentally friendly. They outline the objectives in which the organisation aim to achieve in long term and are an example to all stakeholders of how the organisation is committed in setting changes through their work practices in order adopt to the changes of our natural environment.The targets set must be measurable, meaning organisations must ensure they can analyse how effectively they are working towards achieving these targets. Efficiency targets demonstrate to not only internal stakeholders but also the community on how the organisation is committed to change and are willing to improve accordingly to current environmental impacts. Efficiency targets usually reflect the aims and objectives of the Environmental Plan of an organisation and are specific in relation to the organisations goals.An example of an efficiency target set by Linfox as is a â€Å"50% carbon reduction by 2015†. Referring to task 20, I used Linfox as an example of an organisation in which set a target which is firstly measurable, provides direction for the organisation and is a symbol demonstrating their commitment in becoming environmentally sustainable. REFER TO ATTACHMENT 2 – LINFOX EFFICIENCY TARGETS 2. 6 Promote efficiency targets The benefit of promoting efficiency targets to key stakeholders is gaining the support of these stakeholders where they can contribute to the overall uccess in which the organisation aim to achieve. By having support this enables organisations to effectively work towards the targets and objectives they set out to reach. By communicating the targets to relevant stakeholders this marks a further commitment by the organisation to improving its ecological footprint as the information is released to the public domain and acts as a motivator for the organisation to meet the targets in order to avoid failure.Some methods which could be considered when communicating targets to relevant stakeholders within the internal environment of the organisation are internal newsletters, emails to internal parties from the Managing Director or CEO of the organisation, posters announcing the targets or staff meetings to create full awareness of the targets.In order to communicate the efficiency targets set to external stakeholders (being clients or customers, suppliers, shareh olders, investors, government/regulatory bodies and local media) could be a letter from Managing Director/CEO announcing its new plan and efficiency targets set, an official launch, community consultation forums, within the annual report or on the organisations public website. 3. 1 Techniques and tools The statement clearly outlines the importance of using techniques and tools as they benefit employees by helping them gain an understanding of how to follow procedures in order to implement sustainable work practices.As employees play a vital role in helping the organisation achieve efficiency targets set, they must have a full understanding of the procedures in place in order to effectively commit themselves within work operations in becoming sustainable. In order for employees to gain a full understanding of the procedures in place, the following strategies, tools and techniques may be used: -Environmental Management Plans (EMP): They are a detailed plan in which can be used in orde r to source the ways in which issues can be addressed within the workplace.Employees can use their organisation EMP to address areas in relation to sustainability practices within their workplace and cross-reference the information with the organisation’s strategic and operational plan. -Policies and Procedures: These are written documents which are directed at work place practices in which all employees must follow as a part of their duties in increasing resource efficiency. Checklists: This is a useful tool when either examining or recording resources within the workplace, or recording energy usage rates when ensuring all environmental impacts identified in the workplace are considered within the Environmental Management Plan. Checklists allow organisations to identify what resources are being used constantly and remind employees of their responsibility to ensure they are adopting sustainable work practices within the organisation. REFER TO ATTACHMENT 3 – EXAMPLE OF RESOURCE AUDIT CHECKLIST Training: Training ensures employees are fully aware of the legislation relevant to their work practices within the organisation and are useful when educating employees on implementing the policies and procedures. Through training programs employees are able to gain a clear understanding of the importance of the organisations Environmental Management Plan and therefore are more likely to support the organisations attempts to meet its targets through sustainable work practices. Meetings: Meetings are effective in delivering tools and techniques within the workplace as they can be used to introduce to employees new policies and procedures and also include an explanation on their relevance to the organisations objectives in becoming environmentally sustainable. The more in which time is delegated to educate employees this enhances the likeliness of achieving goals set. 3. 2 Resource efficiency improvement plans Environmental and resource efficiency improvement plans is a major part within the cycle of an organisations efforts to make continuous improvements.Resource efficiency plans are developed in order for work groups who operate within their sector to contribute in reaching their targets as a stepping stone in order to reach the overall objective set by the organisation. Environmental and resource efficiency improvement plans should incorporate legal requirements for execution; this ensures legal compliance is fully understood by all stakeholders in correspondence to the duties of the workgroup.The improvement plans should also incorporate the acceptance of policy by internal stakeholders, which promotes communication with employees in order to produce feedback, commitment and a greater sense of loyalty to the organisation. As well as acceptance of the policy by internal stakeholder the improvement plans must also have clearly defined reporting lines and areas of responsibility where all components need to be allocated to a responsibl e officer in order to also ensure effective implementation of the Environmental Management Plan. 3. Role of supervision/team leader It is the role of supervision or team leaders to encourage and empower employees to suggest improvements within the workplace as a part of continuous improvement processes. As well as encouraging and empowering employees, supervisors should also work to improve environmental performance within workplace operation in relation to the organisation’s efforts in becoming sustainable. Opportunities for improvements can be recognised by supervisors by conducting audits to evaluate environmental performance for permits and licences.As organisations may need to apply or reapply for permits or licences, this allows supervisors to encourage staff to voice their ideas and ensure their observations are not going unnoticed. Another method supervisors could use in order to identify possible areas of non-compliance is by debriefing after breaches, by doing so th is enables supervisors to develop a clear outline of reasons in which the issues arose. Furthermore they can gain information to ensure similar situations do not arise again; during this process it is important for team members to be encouraged by team leaders or supervisors to voice their opinions and make suggestions.Another method in order for supervisors or team leaders to support team members to identify improved work practices is by holding monthly resource efficiency meetings. These meetings allow team members to openly make suggestions and initiate new ideas in order for possible changes to be adopted within the organisation to implement effective sustainable work practices. 3. 4 Costs Different costs in which could be recognised when organisations are incorporating accounting practices in becoming sustainable within the workplace are total-cost accounting and full-cost accounting.Total-cost accounting is a method in which analyses the fixed costs in order to identify the to tal cost of production. When using this method it is evident that the costs vary according to the level of environmental resources being used within the workplace. Full-cost accounting differentiates in relation to the traditional method of costing, as it looks at all the costs in which go into the goods and services in which the organisation provide (including environmental sustainability development costs).This costing system incorporates the hidden costs such as environmental permits, operating costs such as equipment, contingency costs such as estimates of fines or penalties in case of breaches to the environment, outlays which are costs that may be incurred over a period of time and goodwill costs which are the costs that build the organisations image such as promoting the organisations recycling efforts. 4. 1 Evaluating/Monitoring PerformanceThe five steps in which organisation can use to evaluate and monitor their performance are as follows: 1) Firstly the organisation must e stablish benchmarks; this is the first step in evaluating the organisations performance. By establishing benchmarks it allows the organisation to decide on the performance standard in which they can use to further measure their results. Benchmarking is comparing the results of an organisations internal performance competitor’s performance and industry standards in order to determine its success. ) The second step is measuring performance; this is a simple step and can be done by using methods of non-compliance briefings, workplace inspections and compliance reviews. When organisations have systems in place in which gather data, it allows them to identify whether targets have been met, are in the progress of being met or have not been met at all. 3) The thirds step is checking the progress of the organisations performance against the efficiency targets been set.Once the performance of the organisation is measured, the organisation must then conduct a comparison between the act ual performance against the standard which was established in relation to improvements in becoming environmentally sustainable through work practices. 4) The fourth step is investigation; here reasons as to why targets have not been achieved are discovered. If the targets have been met then the underlying processes in which made the progression effective are established. This step enables organisations to develop recommendation for the next phase of evaluating performance being corrective action. ) Within the last phase corrective action, after having to review the measurement of the target and checking the progress as well as making further investigations, the organisation should be prepared to take corrective action in order to evaluate ways in which they can enhance their environmental performance. Aspects in which organisations need to consider when undertaking corrective action are whether there was enough data to make informed decisions, what the best corrective action is, how the action should be implemented and what targets should be set to ensure the corrective action is taken.The above steps are important and a major component of the continuous improvement cycle. It analyses possible mistakes made and is a part of the learning process for an organisation to further develop and alter its behaviour accordingly. 4. 2 Audit documentation Audit documentation could be employed to monitor performance of organisations in implementing environmental sustainable practices as it determines improvements in which an organisation can use in order to become environmentally sustainable within their work practices.By using am audit it contributes to an organisations efforts in making continuous improvements as it is used to revise the target progress and furthermore analyse recommendations in which could be used to assist an organisation in reaching targets. Organisations may use audit documentation within incident reports and also as reference material when analysing how effective they have been in reaching set targets.Audits assist organisations to decide on sustainable practices in which could be implemented within the workplace to improve environmental performance once conducted. REFER TO ATTACHMENT 4 – AUDIT DOCUMENTATION 4. 3 Communicating outcomes It is important that organisations communicate to key personnel and stakeholders the outcome of audits in relation to efficiency targets being met, in order to communicate the outcomes this can be done through target efficiency reports or quarterly efficiency meetings.Target efficiency reports provide detailed information outlining the organisations actual achievements in comparison to the targets set. The reports demonstrate to key personnel and stakeholders whether the organisation is making progress in accordance to targets set or if improvements need to be implemented within work practices in relation to reaching efficiency targets and becoming environmentally sustainable.Quarterly ef ficiency meeting are also an effective tool to communicate with stakeholders of the progress made by the organisation as the organisation will be able to outline within the meetings where possible improvements can be made and can highlight work groups that are under performing or performing to an excellent level. Also by holding efficiency meeting to discuss outcomes of audits on efficiency targets, here feedback can be gathered from employees or relevant stakeholders in order to contribute to changes in which can be adopted by the organisation to improve their environmental performance. . 4 New efficiency targets, tools and strategies New efficiency targets can be set for many reasons; some of these reasons are due to the fact that organisations may have performed to an excellent standard that new targets need to be established, or an organisation may have found problems in their efforts in becoming innovative as there may have been gaps evident within the procedures they implement ed. Whether it be either of the above reasons, it is necessary for organisations to develop new targets and tools and strategies in order to reach these targets.Steps in which can be taken to create new targets are by: -Conducting investigation on current work practices in place which may contribute to problems that may be faced when reaching the new target. -Analyse and evaluate the new efficiency target as well as make relevant recommendations. -Start to plan how the organisation will implement the processes in order to reach the new target. -Continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of the organisation in relation to the target set. REFER TO ATTCHMENT 5 – EXAMPLE OF NEW EFFICIENCY TARGETS SET BY LINFOX 4. Promoting successful strategies It is an organisations responsibility to inform all stakeholders on the environmental, social and financial performance in which can be done through triple bottom line reporting. Triple bottom line reporting is a popular form of rep orting for organisations as it outlines environmental, social and financial performance. It demonstrates the organisations commitment to corporate social responsibilities and communicates to stakeholders how the organisation is reducing its ecological footprint through their strategies.REFER TO ATTACHMENT 6 – TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE REPORTING – LINFOX In order for an organisation to promote the performance of the organisation, this may be conducted through the organisations public website, annual reports, annual general meeting outcomes, brochures or through representation on industry and environment consultation committees. REFER TO ATTACHMENT 7 – HOW LINFOX PROMOTE PERFORMANCE As the organisation makes progress within their environmental performance in becoming sustainable, it is important that stakeholders in which contributed to these achievement are rewarded in order to make them feel valued for their efforts.It is important to reward relevant stakeholders as th ey are the main reason in which the organisation have been successful in reaching efficiency targets and adopting to changes in becoming environmentally friendly. Methods in which can be used to reward important stakeholders are: – Through internal promotion: By promoting employees who contribute to implementing processes, seeking solutions, suggesting improvement and overall making the strategy work within the organisation, it ensures employees are recognised as a valued member of the organisation through changes implemented. Internal newsletter: an internal newsletter can be used in order to promote the success of the organisation when implementing the new strategy and can highlight teams and individuals in which have made important contributions to the organisations success in becoming environmentally sustainable.

Hunger in America

****** Willingham M. Handran English 112 Hunger in America We live in a nation where a large percentage of its inhabitants suffer from economic hardship and are left with no other option but to pick and choose between certain necessities over other fundamental needs due to a lack of financial resources. Many of these people are forced into having to choose between taking their life-saving medications or being able to eat for that day, while others simply have no choice at all.These people simply have no other choice but go hungry despite the copious amounts of food produced in this nation. Some of the primary factors responsible for this heartbreaking predicament stem from a lack of consistent public awareness outside of the quick fix Band-Aid approach during Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday food drives and other short-term feeding campaigns coupled with an inadequate job market for both the unemployed and the underemployed which causes poverty.Insufficient and inconsistent charita ble donations to assist those in need are also contributing factors along with the physical and financial barriers which prevent general access to food to a large population of children, the elderly and the disabled. Another high profile reason for this wide spread problem is due to the direct relationship between the increase in the cost of fuel and how it affects the price of food. Hunger is an equal opportunity destructive force which gives no preference to sex, age, race, religion or educational background.Food insecurities in the United States alone affect an outrageous percentage of citizens in the world’s most affluent nation, afflicting millions of Americans on a daily basis. Hunger in America is neither widely acknowledged nor highly publicized due to the fact that the United States is the world’s wealthiest nation. In light of the facts as stated by our government’s Department of Agriculture and in the minds of all hungry persons in this country, Ameri ca should be recognized as being the world’s most wasteful and irresponsible nation on earth.The United States disposes of billions of pounds of high-quality edible food every single year. Hunger in America is an egregious and inexplicable indictment against our society, and it has created an environment of extreme hardship and suffering that is completely inexcusable in a land where hunger should not even exist and where something more must be done to alleviate hunger in our great nation. Our Citizen’s Health and Sustenance We live in the world’s wealthiest and most plentiful country, yet almost 15 percent of U. S. amilies, about 49 million Americans, including 16. 2 million children struggle to acquire sustenance (Bread for the World). About 15 percent of the American population find themselves struggling at varying degrees from day to day in order to provide food for themselves and their families. Why, in the midst of plenty, are people forced to go without b asic necessities? Tens of millions of Americans are directly affected by this silent plague known as the American hunger crisis which is directly proportional to the level of poverty existing in the United States.As a matter of fact, â€Å"The nation’s official poverty rate in 2010 was 15. 1 percent, up from 14. 3 percent in 2009†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2010). These proximate percentages between hunger and poverty blatantly illustrate the relationship between the two. Without poverty, hunger doesn’t exist. In the discussion of poverty and hunger, inevitabilities such as food, healthcare, basic and adequate shelter, utilities and transportation expenses are severely limited and some of these necessities are either cut back drastically, or they are simply inaccessible.One might have enough money to feed their family, but not have the ability to pay for their children’s health expenses or clothing. â€Å"The numbe r of people without health insurance coverage rose from 49. 0 million in 2009 to 49. 9 million in 2010†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2010). The vast number of people without health insurance is simply another statistic where the figures are obviously too much of a similarity to be justified as mere coincidence.Without their health, how can any American citizen be expected to obtain, much less maintain an adequate paying job and continue to be able to provide sustenance for themselves and their families? Regarding jobs, for a significant number of Americans, the U. S. labor market is not very efficient and doesn’t work as a reliable way to create a steady career to provide for their families (Bread for the World). The job market in the United States has continued to remain stagnant with an unemployment rate that has surpassed eight percent since February 2009, and it has been projected that the very same percentage is oing to exist i n our country until 2014 (Understanding and Responding to Persistently High Unemployment). When the unemployment rate is coupled with the rate of underemployment, those who are employed only part-time but possessing the skills necessary for full-time employment, the percentage of food insecure individuals more than doubled. People that are having a hard time finding full-time work, and those who are willing and able to work, but who have been discouraged from searching so long has risen to 17. percent in the month of September 2010 (Record Underemployment Devastates American Workers). Far too many people are in desperate need of both food and full-time employment. Hunger in America – Hidden in Plain Sight Not only is it extremely disconcerting and an indictment against the government at both the federal and state levels, but it’s also a direct reflection of American society in general that the issue of hunger in America has not been given the recognition or public awar eness that is warranted for such a national and catastrophic epidemic.While there are organizations and individuals that continue to bring this concern into the light of the public eye, it is still neither adequate nor consistent enough to bring a broad awareness to our current hunger plight in this country. Members of Bread for the World continue to write letters to members of Congress to emphasize the severity of this situation hoping that those with the political power and clout will actually do something (Bread for the World). Many American children are at risk because they have not been recognized as being the victims of this national disaster which is American hunger (Lichter et al, 97).While there is promising news on the war against hunger, there are many more battles to be won. The House of Representatives recently passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act which was signed into law on December 13, 2010 by President Barrack Obama (Advocacy). This legislation authorized the fu nding and set the policy for the United States Department of Agriculture’s primary child nutrition programs (Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act). This is definitely a step in the right direction but much more must be done.For example, becoming an advocate for individuals suffering from food insecurity is critical to fighting hunger because it offers many ways to become active not only in important public policy issues of the day, but also within our communities (Advocacy). More focused and stringent efforts from the public and private sectors are necessary to keep this critical issue in the arena of public awareness since a large majority of the American population is completely unaware of the reality that almost 50 million of their neighbors, friends, family and coworkers suffer daily from this silent epidemic.Single Mothers and Others Among the several millions of people that do suffer from food insecurity in America, there are certain groups of people from distressed backgrounds that tend to deal with much more pressure than others when it comes to hunger and poverty. Fathers all over our nation are deserting their partners and children. In merely three decades, the percent of children living without their fathers increased from 17 percent to 36 percent, more than doubling the number ( Popenoe, 33). As disturbing as it may seem, the percentage that exists today continues to grow.Young developing children and their struggling mothers that strive to endure the difficulties of life without a father in the home or with an estranged father who doesn’t pay child support has resulted in huge numbers of women and children to be left in great need of financial aid. In fact, single mother families are the group of citizens that are most at risk. Their numbers are rapidly growing, and they are becoming the poorest segment of the population in the country (Dodson, 109). Many of the worst tragedies in situations like these are the children that go to bed without enough to eat at night.Millions of children are left to sit in hunger and are helpless because their guardians cannot provide an adequate amount of food for their nourishment. In fact, one in five children or 20 percent suffered from hunger in the year 2000. That was ten million children. Even worse, three million of those children underwent an even more stomach wrenching hunger predicament where they had no other choice but to eat even less and were forced to skip meals due to a lack of food (Food First). A major contributing factor that has had a direct negative impact on these families is the seemingly ever increasing cost of fuel or access to energy.Whenever the price of oil and gas increases, every aspect of our economy is affected. The worst of which is the increase in the cost of food. Beginning with the farmers who require fuel to operate their tractors and other farm equipment along with oil-based pesticides and other chemicals needed for large crop production, this is jus t the beginning (Heinberg ). As manufacturers require energy to produce food for public consumption, they must increase their costs of production to cover the extra energy expense.The large semi-trucks that deliver those food products have to pay more for fuel, and the grocery store is forced to increase their prices in order to remain in business (Gas Prices Start to Affect Food Prices). While single mother families are at the top of the food insecure pyramid, another group of individuals is suffering just as much. These people are our senior citizens and the disabled who must survive on fixed incomes, the majority of whom depend solely on the federal government through social security payments they receive along with certain entitlement programs if they qualify (Sepulvado).Furthermore, the fact that the United States of America disposes of over 100 billion pounds of editable food annually is an ignominious slap in the face to the masses of hungry American citizens (Hunger In Ameri ca). Hunger in America – Conclusion Alleviating hunger in America may be a disheartening and seemingly overwhelming task, but there is an untold and extremely underpublicized confidence among many public and private organizations and individuals that it is possible with persistence and dedication. The facts are clear. Approximately 50 million American citizens suffer from a lack of food.In our politically correct society, the phrase ‘food insecure’ was adopted as a more palatable euphemism to avoid and hide the harsh reality that the wealthiest nation on earth is filled with millions of desperately hungry people, over 16 million of whom are children. Lack of consistent public awareness, inadequate government funding and insufficient charitable contributions, the unemployment and underemployment rates and the increasing costs of fuel are all contributing factors that continue to feed the national disgrace of American hunger.There are quotes from famous individuals concerning hunger that seem fitting to include and conclude this research. â€Å"Most of our citizenry believes that hunger only affects people who are lazy or people who are just looking for a handout, people who don’t want to work, but, sadly, that is not true. Over one-third of our hungry people are innocent children who are members of households that simply cannot provide enough food or proper nutrition. And to think of the elderly suffering from malnutrition is just too hard for most of us. UnlikeThird World nations, in our country the problem is not having too little – it is about not caring enough! Write your elected representatives and promote support for the hungry. â€Å"-Erin Brokovich. Another quote from the most iconic civil rights leader in the United States said this: â€Å"Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all mankind with the basic nec essities of life? There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is in human will. â€Å"-Martin Luther King, Jr.The 32nd President of the United States said this about hunger: â€Å"But while they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings. †-Franklin D. Roosevelt. This final quote comes from a woman who many would claim was the most selfless individual in our lifetime: â€Å"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. -Mother Teresa. Hunger in America is an incomprehensible condemnation against our nation. This social injustice directly inflicts extreme hardship upon millions of Americans and causes unnecessary and completely avoidable suffering simply because we as individuals and federal and state agencies are poor stewards of the food resources which we have in an abundant supply; yet we deliberately dispose of billions of pounds of good edible food which is more than enough to alleviate hunger in the most prosperous and the most powerful country on earth.Works Cited â€Å"Advocacy. † Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Bread for the World: Have Faith. End Hunger. â€Å"U. S. Hunger†Ã¢â‚¬  Homepage. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. . Dodson, Lisa. â€Å"Chapter 5. † Lost Fathers. By Cynthia R. . Daniels. New York: St. Martin's, 1998. Print. Food First. â€Å"Ch. 1. † Poverty: Opposing Viewpoints. â€Å"Hunger Is a Serious Problem for America’s Poor† San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2004. 19-21. Print. â€Å"Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. † Web. 18 Apr. 2012. . Heinberg, Richard. â€Å"Article. Soaring Oil and Food Prices Threaten Affordable Food Supply. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Hunger In America. † Hunger in America Diminished by Gardeners and AmpleHarvest. org. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. â€Å"Income, Poverty and Health Insurance in the United States: 2010. † Census Bureau Homepage. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. . Lichter, Daniel T. , Vincent J. Roscigno, and Dennis J. Condron. â€Å"Chapter 7. † Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-first Century. Ed. David L. Brown, Louis E. Swanson, and Alan W. Barton. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 2003. 97-98.Print. Popenoe, David. â€Å"Chapter 2. † Lost Fathers. By Cynthia R. . Daniels. New York: St. Martin's, 1998. Print. â€Å"Record Underemployment Devastates American Workers. † GOP. gov. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. . Sepulvado, John. â€Å"Rising Food Prices Could Drive up Rates of Hunger. † CNN. Cable News Network, 16 Mar. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. . â€Å"Understanding and Responding to Persistently High Unemployment. † CBO. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. . Vivek, S. â€Å"Chapter 8. † Global Obligations for the Right to Foo d. By George Kent. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print.

Geography and Overview of Tsunamis

Geography and Overview of Tsunamis A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that are generated by large movements or other disturbances on the oceans floor. Such disturbances include volcanic eruptions, landslides, and underwater explosions, but earthquakes are the most common cause. Tsunamis can occur close to the shore or travel thousands of miles if the disturbance occurs in the deep ocean. Tsunamis are important to study because they are a natural hazard that can occur at any time in coastal areas around the world. In an effort to gain a more complete understanding of tsunamis and generate stronger warning systems, there are monitors throughout the worlds oceans to measure wave height and potential underwater disturbances. The Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific Ocean is one of the largest monitoring systems in the world and it is made up of 26 different countries and a series of monitors placed throughout the Pacific. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Honolulu, Hawaii collects and processes data gathered from these monitors and provides warnings throughout the Pacific Basin. Causes of Tsunamis Tsunamis are also called seismic sea waves because they are most commonly caused by earthquakes. Because tsunamis are caused mainly by earthquakes, they are most common in the Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire - the margins of the Pacific with many plate tectonic boundaries and faults that are capable of producing large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In order for an earthquake to cause a tsunami, it must occur below the oceans surface or near the ocean and be a magnitude large enough to cause disturbances on the seafloor. Once the earthquake or other underwater disturbance occurs, the water surrounding the disturbance is displaced and radiates away from the initial source of the disturbance (i.e. the epicenter in an earthquake) in a series of fast-moving waves. Not all earthquakes or underwater disturbances cause tsunamis - they must be large enough to move a significant amount of material. In addition, in the case of an earthquake, its magnitude, depth, water depth and the speed at which the material moves all factor into whether or not a tsunami is generated. Tsunami Movement Once a tsunami is generated, it can travel thousands of miles at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour (805 km per hour). If a tsunami is generated in the deep ocean, the waves radiate out from the source of the disturbance and move toward land on all sides. These waves usually have a large wavelength and a short wave height so they are not easily recognized by the human eye in these regions. As the tsunami moves toward shore and the oceans depth decreases, its speed slows quickly and the waves begin to grow in height as the wavelength decreases (diagram) This is called amplification and it is when the tsunami is the most visible. As the tsunami reaches the shore, the trough of the wave hits first which appears as a very low tide. This is a warning that a tsunami is imminent. Following the trough, the peak of the tsunami comes ashore. The waves hit the land like a strong, fast tide, instead of a giant wave. Giant waves only occur if the tsunami is very large. This is called runup and it is when the most flooding and damage from the tsunami occurs as the waters often travel farther inland than normal waves would. Tsunami Watch Versus Warning Because tsunamis are not easily seen until they are close to shore, researchers and emergency managers rely on monitors that are located throughout the oceans that track slight changes in the height of waves. Whenever there is an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 7.5 in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Watch is automatically declared by the PTWC if it was in a region capable of producing a tsunami. Once a tsunami watch is issued, PTWC watches tide monitors in the ocean to determine whether or not a tsunami was generated. If a tsunami is generated, a Tsunami Warning is issued and coastal areas are evacuated. In the case of deep ocean tsunamis, the public is normally given time to evacuate, but if it is a locally generated tsunami, a Tsunami Warning is automatically issued and people should immediately evacuate coastal areas. Large Tsunamis and Earthquakes Tsunamis occur all over the world and they cannot be predicted since earthquakes and other underwater disturbances occur without warning. The only tsunami prediction possible is the monitoring of waves after the earthquake has already happened. In addition, scientists today know where tsunamis are most likely to occur due to large events in the past. In March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck near the coast of Sendai, Japan and generated a tsunami that devastated that region and caused damage thousands of miles away in Hawaii and the west coast of the United States. In December 2004, a major earthquake struck near the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia and generated a tsunami that damaged countries all over the Indian Ocean. In April 1946 a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck near Alaskas Aleutian Islands and generated a tsunami that destroyed much of Hilo, Hawaii thousands of miles away. The PTWC was created in 1949 as a result. To learn more about tsunamis, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Tsunami Website. References National Weather Service. (n.d.). Tsunami: The Great Waves. Retrieved from: weather.gov/om/brochures/tsunami.htmNatural Hazards Hawaii. (n.d.). Understanding the Difference Between a Tsunami Watch and Warning. University of Hawaii at Hilo. Retrieved from: uhh.hawaii.edu/~nat_haz/tsunamis/watchvwarning.phpUnited States Geological Survey. (22 October 2008). Life of a Tsunami. Retrieved from: http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/basics.htmlWikipedia.org. (28 March 2011). Tsunami - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tsunami

Free Essays on Yoknapatawpha County

he uses to give such vivid descriptions of his settings and characters is what makes him great. His own non-fictional setting is the stepping stone that he used to give such great imagery. The happenings of Faulkner’s stories occur in a fictional place called Yoknapatawpha County, set in Northern Mississippi. Yoknapatawpha is very natural for Faulkner to describe because it’s familiarity to his own non-fictional Lafayette County. Yoknapatawpha is the country where the Snopes family roams. The Snopes go from place to place traveling the southern terrain that Faulkner grew up in, and is so familiar with. Miss Emily lives in the town of Jefferson within Yoknapatawpha. Jefferson is the non-fictional version of Oxford Faulkner’s home town. He describes Miss Emily’s house if it was on a main street that was once residential, and as time went on became more commercial. Her house was once a place of envy, a big beautiful home. Judging from the employment of Faulkner’s grandparents he was likely very wealthy, or at least much more wealthy than the people around him. He likely grew up... Free Essays on Yoknapatawpha County Free Essays on Yoknapatawpha County Yoknapatawpha County Yoknapatawpha County is a fictional place after William Faulkner’s own Lafayette County. It is where many of his works are staged and carries a legendary reputation in the Deep South. The town of Jefferson is within Yoknapatawpha County and is the fictional equivalent of Oxford, Faulkner’s home town. In the short story â€Å"Barn Burning,† Faulkner uses his familiar Yoknapatawpha County, and in â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† his town of Jefferson. Not only does Faulkner recycle his settings, he does the same with many of his characters. There’s a book by Margaret Patricia Ford and Suzanne Kincaid called the Who’s Who in Faulkner, devoted entirely to explaining how his characters carry over from story to story. Though the roots of his settings and character may not be original, the economy and elegance of the words he uses to give such vivid descriptions of his settings and characters is what makes him great. His own non-fictional setting is the stepping stone that he used to give such great imagery. The happenings of Faulkner’s stories occur in a fictional place called Yoknapatawpha County, set in Northern Mississippi. Yoknapatawpha is very natural for Faulkner to describe because it’s familiarity to his own non-fictional Lafayette County. Yoknapatawpha is the country where the Snopes family roams. The Snopes go from place to place traveling the southern terrain that Faulkner grew up in, and is so familiar with. Miss Emily lives in the town of Jefferson within Yoknapatawpha. Jefferson is the non-fictional version of Oxford Faulkner’s home town. He describes Miss Emily’s house if it was on a main street that was once residential, and as time went on became more commercial. Her house was once a place of envy, a big beautiful home. Judging from the employment of Faulkner’s grandparents he was likely very wealthy, or at least much more wealthy than the people around him. He likely grew up...

Battle of Ezra Church in the Civil War

Battle of Ezra Church in the Civil War Battle of Ezra Church - Conflict Date: The Battle of Ezra Church was fought July 28, 1864, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Armies Commanders Union Major General William T. ShermanMajor General Oliver O. Howard13,266 men Confederate Lieutenant General John Bell Hood18,450 men Battle of Ezra Church - Background: Late July 1864 found Major General William T. Shermans forces advancing on Atlanta in pursuit of General Joseph E. Johnstons Army of Tennessee. Reviewing the situation, Sherman decided to push Major General George H. Thomas Army of the Cumberland over the Chattahoochee River with the goal of pinning Johnston in place. This would permit Major General James B. McPhersons Army of the Tennessee and Major General John Schofields Army of the Ohio to shift east to Decatur where they could cut the Georgia Railroad. This done, the combined force would advance on Atlanta. Having fallen back through much of northern Georgia, Johnston had earned the ire of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Worried about his generals willingness to fight, he sent his military advisor, General Braxton Bragg, to Georgia to assess the situation. Reaching Atlanta on July 13, Bragg commenced sending a number of discouraging reports north to Richmond. Three days later, Davis directed Johnston to send him details regarding his plans for defending the city. Displeased with the generals noncommittal response, Davis decided to relieve him and replace him with the offensively-minded Lieutenant General John Bell Hood. As orders for Johnstons relief were sent south, Shermans troops began crossing the Chattahoochee. Anticipating that Union forces would attempt to cross Peachtree Creek north of the city, Johnston drew up plans for a counterattack. Learning of the command change on the night of July 17, Hood and Johnston telegraphed Davis and asked that it be delayed until after the coming battle. This request was refused and Hood assumed command. Battle of Ezra Church - Fighting for Atlanta: Attacking on July 20, Hoods forces were turned back by Thomas Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Peachtree Creek. Unwilling to surrender the initiative, he directed Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewarts corps to hold the lines north of Atlanta while Lieutenant General William Hardees corps and Major General Joseph Wheelers cavalry moved south and east with the goal of turning McPhersons left flank. Striking on July 22, Hood was defeated at the Battle of Atlanta though McPherson fell in the fighting. Left with a command vacancy, Sherman promoted Major General Oliver O. Howard, then leading IV Corps, to head the Army of the Tennessee. This move infuriated the commander of XX Corps, Major General Joseph Hooker, who blamed Howard for his defeat the previous year at Chancellorsville when the two were with the Army of the Potomac. As a result, Hooker asked to be relieved and returned north. Battle of Ezra Church - Shermans Plan: In an effort to compel the Confederates to abandon Atlanta, Sherman devised a plan that called for Howards Army of the Tennessee to shift west from their position east of the city to cut the railroad from Macon. A critical supply line for Hood, its loss would force him to abandon the city. Moving out on July 27, the Army of the Tennessee began their march west. Though Sherman made efforts to conceal Howards intentions, Hood was able to discern the Union objective. As a result, he directed Lieutenant General Stephen D. Lee to take two divisions out the Lick Skillet road to block Howards advance. To support Lee, Stewarts corps was to swing west to strike Howard from the rear. Moving down the west side of Atlanta, Howard took a cautious approach despite assurances from Sherman that the enemy would not oppose the march (Map). Battle of Ezra Church - A Bloody Repulse: A classmate of Hoods at West Point, Howard expected the aggressive Hood to attack. As such, he halted on July 28 and his men quickly erected makeshift breastworks using logs, fence rails, and other available material. Pushing out from the city, the impulsive Lee decided not to assume a defensive position along the Lick Skillet road and instead elected to assault the new Union position near Ezra Church. Shaped like a reverse L, the main Union line extended north with a short line running west. This area, along with the angle and part of the line running north, was held by Major General John Logans veteran XV Corps. Deploying his men, Lee directed Major General John C. Browns division to attack north against the east-west portion of the Union line. Advancing, Browns men came under intense fire from the divisions of Brigadier Generals Morgan Smith and William Harrow. Taking immense losses, the remnants of Browns division fell back. Undeterred, Lee sent Major General Henry D. Claytons division forward just north of the angle in the Union line. Encountering heavy resistance from Brigadier General Charles Woods division, they were forced to fall back. Having wrecked his two divisions against the enemys defenses, Lee soon was reinforced by Stewart. Borrowing Major General Edward Walthalls division from Stewart, Lee sent it forward against the angle with similar results. In the fighting, Stewart was wounded. Recognizing that success was unobtainable, Lee fell back and ended the battle. Battle of Ezra Church - Aftermath: In the fighting at Ezra Church, Howard lost 562 killed and wounded while Lee suffered around 3,000. Though a tactical defeat for the Confederates, the battle prevented Howard from reaching the railroad. In the wake of this strategic setback, Sherman commenced a series of raids in an effort cut the Confederate supply lines. Finally, in late August, he began a massive movement around the west side of Atlanta that culminated with a key victory at the Battle of Jonesboro on August 31-September 1. In the fighting, Sherman severed the railroad from Macon and forced Hood to depart Atlanta. Union troops entered the city on September 2.